Bob Knight, the legendary Hall of Fame college basketball coach who led Indiana University to three national championships, has died. He was 83 years old.
Knight’s family announced his death Wednesday in a statement posted on his website.
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“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that coach Bob Knight has passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by family. We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy as the coach has requested a private family gathering, which is being respected,” the statement read. “We will continue to celebrate his life and remember him, today and forever, as a loving husband, father, coach and friend.”
Those wishing to honor Knight were asked to make a memorial contribution to the Alzheimer’s Association or Marian University.
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Bob Knight 2014
David Becker/Getty
The Orrville, Ohio native began his basketball career as a player for Ohio State’s college basketball team. In 1960, he helped secure the program’s only national championship along with fellow sports legends Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek.
After beginning his basketball career as an assistant at Cuyahoga Falls High School in Ohio, he became the coach at West Point at the age of 24. During six seasons at that position, his record was 102-50.
As a coach at Indiana University, he led his team to three national championships. He was the program’s head coach for 29 years, during which his team also secured 11 regular-season major championships and five Final Four appearances.
Before going to Texas Tech as a coach from 2001-2008, he led the 1984 U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal and led the U.S. team to gold in the 1979 Pan American Games. He had many notable moments in his coaching career, including throwing a chair across the basketball court in 1985, which got him ejected from the game.
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Bob Knight in 1973.
Rich Clarkson/NCAA photos via Getty
In 1991, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was part of the inaugural College Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2006.
According to CBS Sports, at the time of his retirement from coaching in 2008, his 902 wins were the all-time most in men’s college basketball. The achievement made him the sixth coach in Division I men’s college basketball history to be honored.
The Basketball Hall of Fame describes Knight as “a legend among coaches.”
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Bob Knight during his tenure at Texas Tech in 2006.
Darren Carroll/Sports Illustrated via Getty
“His teams seemed like him – disciplined, tough, smart, focused and tenacious. His success was based in part on his ability to instill the fundamentals of quality in his players,” reads a description of Knight’s Hall of Fame career. “His motion offense required a firm grasp of some of the game’s most fundamental ideas.”
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Indiana University President Pamela Whitten issued a statement following the news of Knight’s death that read, “As we collectively mourn the passing of Coach Knight, we also celebrate a man who will always be an integral part of Indiana University’s rich and colorful story. With unparalleled accomplishments, Coach Knight’s brilliance ensures that he will forever rest among the giants of college basketball.”
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Source: HIS Education